National political reporter

An "excellent choice" ... Justice Peter McClellan will head the royal commission. Photo: Edwina Pickles

THE Sydney judge appointed to lead what promises to become Australia's largest royal commission is best known for his role in two recent high-profile murder appeals.

Justice Peter McClellan is the Chief Judge at Common Law of the NSW Supreme Court, a role that involves him sitting on the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.

In this position he was on the bench that acquitted Gordon Wood of throwing his girlfriend, Caroline Byrne, off The Gap at Watsons Bay.

He was also the senior judge on the bench of the same court that approved the release of Jeffrey Gilham, who had been convicted of killing his parents and brother.

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Responding to Prime Minister's announcement on Friday that Justice McClellan will lead the royal commission on child sexual abuse, the NSW Attorney-General, Greg Smith, described Justice McClellan as an ''excellent choice''.

''He is one of Australia's top lawyers, known for his principled approach and commitment to fairness and justice,'' Mr Smith said. ''I am confident he will give all parties a full and fair hearing and guide the commission well.''

Mr Smith said Justice McClellan would be on leave from his position as chief judge for the duration of the commission's work.

Justice McClellan is also known for his ability to save time in reaching key decisions.

On the day he was sworn in as a judge of the NSW Supreme Court in 2001, the president of the Law Society, Nick Meagher, praised him for giving ''excellent value for money''.

''Many times,'' he told Justice McClellan, ''you have demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to understand and reach into the heart of a matter with such speed and accuracy.''

Given estimates by experts of a royal commission price tag of up to $100 million (the government spent $30 million investigating Aboriginal deaths in custody), his penchant for economical decision-making will be welcomed - particularly when major royal commissions often leave many unhappy with the results.

While recent appearances on the bench, bringing to an end two controversial cases that gripped Sydney, made him relatively high profile in the closeted world of the judiciary, the public is no stranger to some of his contentious views.

Last year he spoke out about whether juries should have a role in criminal trials.

''If there are difficulties for a judge in resolving disputes between experts these difficulties will be greater for a jury of lay people,'' he said in a speech last year.

''Judges,'' he told the audience, ''may have a more finely attuned capacity to identify room for doubt'' and may not be ''so easily swayed by the rhetoric of the skilful advocate''.

Such disdain for juries suggests Justice McClellan is an orthodox elitist, but there is as much evidence to the contrary.

He once told a journalist that judges such as himself tended to live in wealthier parts of Sydney less affected by crime and should be careful not to dismiss the views of radio talk show hosts on criminal sentencing. He said ignoring emotional views on crime would alienate large sections of the public.

While steering the royal commission into child sexual abuse, Justice McClellan will harness diplomatic skills learnt by working on several important inquiries, including the royal commission into British nuclear tests, the review of Sydney's casino licence and his chairmanship of the Sydney Water Inquiry, where he fast became an expert on giardia and cryptosporidium.

But none of the above prepares him for what comes next.

The Prime Minister said on Friday she wanted to allow survivors of child sexual abuse to speak with commissioners one on one - which will take Justice McClellan into even more difficult places than he has seen to date.